The Gymnast and The Coach
by CaterinaFan159
Summary: Our Favorite coach finally lets his feelings be known towards Emily. How do they handle it? How long do they have to keep it hidden?  Chapter 5 up Now! The faster I get reviews the faster i'll update.
1. Part I

Emily rested in Sasha's arms after she fell off the beam. It was just quiet as they stared at eachother.

"Wow" Was all Emily could say.

Sasha gently sat her down and took a step back. He knew he shouldn't be having these feelings for someone as young as Emily. Especially someone who is one of his gymnast.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked taking a step closer to him.

"I shouldn't be having the thoughts I'm having right now" Sasha said.

"It doesn't matter to me since I'm feeling the same" Emily said shyly.

"Really?" Sasha said surprised.

"Yea but, I'm scared to get hurt again. Every guy in my life besides Brian has let me down. They've all left. How will I know you won't just leave too?" Emily said, starting to cry.

Sasha ran up to her and pulled her into his arms and Emily locked her arms around his waist and let it all out.

"Unless you know something I don't; I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon" Sasha said then he kissed the top of her head.

When he did this she looked up and slowly they leaned in toward each other. When their lips finally met they stood still for a minute, and then finally let themselves finally give into the kiss. After a few minutes they parted.

"You know this goes against all the rules right?" Sasha said still holding onto Emily.

"I know" Emily said while her head was resting against his chest.

"You have nationals soon, you'll have to focus but I'll be here for you the whole way. There's only one problem?" Sasha said.

"What?" Emily asked finally lifting her head up to look at him.

"What do we tell the moms?" Sasha said.

"No Idea"

**The Next Morning**

Emily was out sitting on the floor stretching with Lauren, Payson, and Kallie; staring up at the office where Sasha was having a meeting with all the parents.

"What's all that about?" Payson said looking at the office.

"My dad said Sasha called them in to tell them something important but he wouldn't tell him what." Kallie said.

"What could it be?" Lauren asked.

"No idea. Hey why are you so quiet?" Kallie said looking over at Emily.

"No Reason"

"No ….. No No reason ….. you know something" Lauren said. As soon as she said that they all looked at her.

"I swear I don't know anything." Emily said and she went back to stretching.

All of a sudden you could hear yelling coming from the office. The whole gym was looking at the office now, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Come on guys, we have practice to do." Payson said to get everyone to practice.

Once they started practicing everyone else followed, just ignoring the shouting coming from the office.

**The Office**

Sasha was leaning against the bookcase by the window and looking out the window and out onto the floor while all the parents were sitting around looking at him.

"So Sasha what's this meeting about?" Steve asked.

"After hearing about some developments in the gym I think we should lift the no dating rule." Sasha said.

The office was quiet for a minute then all the parents started yelling.

**15 Minutes Later**

Emily was standing line with Lauren, Payson and Kallie waiting for a pass on the floor. She seen it had gotten a lot quieter in the office and she was dieing to know what was going on in there.

"Wonder whats going on in there?" Lauren asked.

"Looks like were about to find out" Payson said cocking her head towards the office where Sasha and the parents were filing out. As soon as Sasha was out he looked for Emily. Their eyes met and they shared a smile. She then knew everything was going to be okay.

"Everyone gather round" Kim yelled over the gym.

Once they all had gotten around to the stairs she continued "Based on something's that have come to light and after much deliberation we have decided to lift the no dating rule but there are some conditions. First of all, no dating till after nationals and all dating stuff is left outside the gym. Even after nationals some of you will be on the national team and you will need to focus. We've decided that if you guys can handle a professional career you can handle a relationship. You go too far and there will be consequences. Now get back to practice" She finished and she went back into the office while the rest of the parents either went into the viewing area or left the gym. Sasha gave a nod for Emily to come into the office.

Emily at a fast walk went to the office where only Sasha and Kim were waiting.

"Ok Emily Sasha told me separatly … the rest of the parents don't know. Even though this is a very unconventional Sasha was very adamant. The same rules apply for you even though you're dating Sasha. The only rule were gonna bend is you guys can stay together even though the new rule says not till Nationals. Just keep it cool and professional." Kim said.

"Of Course … I just wanted to say thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me" Emily said leaning into Sasha. He put his arm around his waist.

"Well don't make me regret it. I'll give you guys a minute" Kim said then she left.

Once she was gone Emily pivoted on her left foot and wrapped her arms around Sasha's neck.

"You know she could have had fired you right?"

"I know … you know they could have kicked you out of the gym"

"I know but she could have had fired … that's worse" Emily said in a louder, stronger voice.

"I know … but she didn't. Now that this is taken care of you need to concentrate on nationals. Afterwards on our time we can have some us time" Sasha said looking down at her.

"Ok" Emily said as she leaned up and gave him one more kiss then went back to practice.

"What did Sasha want?" Kaylie asked.

"He wanted to talk to me about my floor that's all" Emily said then she went over to one of the beams and started working on perfecting her routine.

**End of Practice**

Sasha had just told everyone that they could go home for the day. Emily was staying a little longer to work on her floor routine. Another one of the rules was outside of the gym Sasha and Emily could do whatever they wanted but in the gym they were to act like coach and gymnast and that someone always must be with them in the gym so Kim was up in the office watching.

"Keep it strong Emily … follow through … finish strong … Awesome Emily" He said as she finished her routine.

"I'm still not comfortable with this prissy music" She said as she came off the floor.

"Well we'll see … now go change and I'll drive you home." Sasha said.

"Ok" Emily said as she ran back to the locker room and Sasha went to his office to grab his keys.

"So today was pretty eventful" Kim said as Sasha entered the office.

"Yea thanks for that … for calming the parents down today." Sasha said.

"Sasha" Emily said from the doorway.

"Ready to go?"

"Yea" Emily said.

"Thanks again" Sasha said to Kim.

"No problem" Kim said then Sasha and Emily walked out of the office and out of the gym.

**In The Car …**

Sasha had one hand on the wheel and the other sitting on Emily's knee. Emily had her hand over his and she had a big smile on her face.

"What are you so happy about?" Sasha asked smiling.

"I'm just happy to finally have something in my life I can count on." Emily said.

"Good … I'm happy to be that for you" Sasha said with a smile as he pulled into Emily's driveway.

"I'll walk you to your door" Sasha said then they got out of the car.

Once they got to the door they just stood there looking at each other with Emily's arms around his neck and his hands on her waist.

"So tomorrow morning … you coming early?" He asked.

"Don't think so … coach said 10 hours of sleep" Emily said with a smart smile.

"Oh did I well … then you must … I'll see you tomorrow morning at the gym" Sasha said then he leaned down and kissed her then she went inside and he went back to his car then back to the gym.


	2. Part II

**4:30 The Next Morning**

Chloe was driving Emily to the gym. Chloe was half asleep while Emily was wide awake and bouncing in her seat.

"How can you be this awake at 4:30" Chloe asked.

"I'm just excited for nationals"

"And seeing your coach/boyfriend"

"Maybe" Emily said as Chloe pulled into the gym but she pulled up by Sasha's trailer instead of the by the gyms doors. The lights in the trailer were on so she knew Sasha was still getting ready.

"I know you were so eager to leave early so that you could see him before practice, so go" Chloe said.

"Thanks mom" She said and she gave her a hug.

"I'll be back after lunch to watch"

"Ok" Emily said as she got out of the car and shut the door.

When she turned around Sasha already had the door open and was waiting. Emily basically ran to the door and threw herself into his arms.

"Good Morning to you too" Sasha said laughing.

"Good Morning" Emily said staring up at him with her arms around his neck.

"Do you want something to eat? We have a little while till practice?" He said as he led Emily into the trailer.

"Don't you have to open the gym?" She asked.

"When I heard you pull up I called Kim and she's gonna open the gym today?" He said.

"Okay … I already ate but do you have some orange juice?" Emily said then she sat down on the couch across from the door.

The trailer was vey clean and tidy, very simple and not complicated. The bed was on the opposite side then the door and in front of that was a small dinette and a small kitchen. Then there was the crouch across from the door and next to the door was a stand with a TV, VCR and DVD player with a stack of recordings from the girls practicing their routines. Under his bed was storage and also above the couch and at the end of the trailer was the bathroom and the shower.

"I like your trailer it's very you" Emily said.

"Thank you" He said as he gave her her orange juice then say down next to her.

"I can't believe we leave for nationals the day after tomorrow" Emily said. "I'm nervous"

"Don't worry you'll do fine. You'll all do fine" Sasha said putting his hand on her knee.

"What if the press finds out about us?" She asked with a worried look on her face.

"They won't … we'll just have to be careful" Sasha said.

"I hope we can be"

"We will be … but we have to get to practice … you done?" He said motioning towards her empty glass.

"Yea" Emily said then she gave him the glass and stood up.

Sasha put the glass in the sink then turned the pulled Emily to him.

"One more couple moment before were coach and gymnast again." Sasha said with a smile, and then he learned down and kissed her. He gave her one more hug then he stepped toward the door and Emily followed.

**End of Practice**

Sasha called the girls over by his office.

"Everybody today was your last full day of practice before we leave for Boston. We practice tomorrow but I'm going let you out early so you can finish packing and get a good nights sleep … for most of you this is either going to make or break your career, so don't take these last practices lightly. I don't want anyone but my flight staying late tonight. Nice job today people … get a good night sleep … Emily, Payson, Kaylie, Lauren … over here please" Sasha said motioning towards where he was standing by the office. Once everyone was out of the gym, he continued. "Okay I only want you guys staying two more hours … I'll spend a little time with each of you working on your problem areas, so Lauren bars, Kaylie vault, Payson beam and Emily with me on floor" He said then the girls dispersed.

"I'm still not used to his prissy music" Emily said once she was on the floor with Sasha.

"I know I can see it when you perform. If I want you to make the national team, you need to be comfortable with your routine, so I'm changing you back to your old routine" Sasha said with a smile.

"Really" Emily said with a complete and utter shock on her face.

"Yea I shouldn't have changed your music in the first place, now go to your starting position." Sasha said.

Emily went to her old starting position and did her old routine. She immediately did better; she had more energy and seems to be enjoying herself more. Once she finished she ran over to Sasha.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"So much … you have no idea" Emily said with a huge smile.

"Keep practicing that … once your comfortable with that … do it again … is your mom picking you up today?"

"She was but she had some last minute appointments. I was just gonna run home … a little conditioning never hurt anyone"

"Well I was thinking … we could go out to dinner … nothing fancy … it's just … when were in Boston were going to have to be coach and gymnast pretty much the whole time so … I thought we could have one more couple moment tonight" Sasha said keeping a safe distance so the others wouldn't get suspicious.

"I'd love that"

"Well you guys are going to get out of here at 5 … so I'll drive you home then pick you back up at 6:30 or so. How does that sound?"

"Awesome … now … go be coach" Emily said with a smile then turned, started her music and started her routine again.

**2 Hours Later**

"Good practice you guys … tomorrow morning 6 am … Emily when you're down meet me outside" Sasha finished then went into the office.

"How are you and Cater? Are you finally gong to tell your dad now that the no dating rule is going to be lifted?" Emily asked.

"He's going to talk to my dad after Boston" She said with a big smile.

"So Pay … you gonna go after anyone?" Lauren asked.

"No when I make the national team I have to focus … I wont have time to worry about a stupid boyfriend ….I don't even think the rule should have been lifted … it's just going to distract everyone"

"Thanks guys I have to go Sasha's waiting for me. He's going to drop me off at home. My moms working late" she said smiling.

"Well have fun"

"Thanks … Bye" Emily said then she left the locker room.

**Outside the Gym**

Sasha was standing in the doorway of his car, waiting for Emily when Kim pulled up.

"Hey Sasha" Kim yelled as she got out of the car and walked over to him. "How are the girls looking?"

"Good … I had them work on their problem areas. Didn't work them too hard"

"and Emily?"

"I switched back her music … don't even know why I did it in the first place"

"Want my option?"

"Your going to give it to me anyway so might as well"

"I think you wanted her to be more like the others girls. You didn't want a wild child and once you really got to know her and care about her … you saw who she was really was"

"Yea … I want then all to do good at nationals obviously but especially Emily … she's had so much hurt in her life. I want her to have one good thing happen. This routine … being able to show who she really is … she might be the surprise at nationals …. I also added another element to her beam so I think she'll definitely surprise some people."

"You know I haven't seen you this happy since you moved here"

"Well she has a lot to do with it" Sasha said with a look of true happiness on his face, and his smile only got bigger when Emily walked out of the gym.

"Hey … you ready?" He asked once she got to the car.

"Yea" She said then she went to the other side of the car and got in.

"See you tomorrow"

"Don't keep her out too late" Kim said with a smile.

Sasha gave her a smile back, got in the car, and then drove away in the direction of Emily's house.

**6:30 Emily's House**

"Emily come on I want to see you before Sasha gets here" Chloe yells while standing against the bathroom door.

"Just a minute" Emily said.

Emily was looking at herself in the mirror, making sure she was perfect. She was wearing the blue dress she wore to the kegger and she had her hair slightly curled and light make-up so she still looked natural. She took one final look then opened the door and walked out.

"Oh Emily you look so cute but you need more lip gloss" She said as she ran into Emily's room.

"Mom" Emily yelled after her.

"Don't even try … she just wants you to look nice" Brian said from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, playing on the laptop.

"I know … I wish you were coming to nationals with us" Emily said as she walked over and leaned against the table.

"I know … me too" he said, and then Chloe came out of the bedroom.

"Got it" She said then she applied some gloss to Emily's lips and as soon as she was done the doorbell rang.

"I have to go grab my purse out of my room … can you grab the door?"

"Sure" Chloe said then she went and grabbed the door.

When she opened it, Sasha was standing there wearing nice dark wash jeans, a button down shirt with the top two buttons open and a nice black suit jacket. He was also holding a bouquet of red roses with baby's breath.

"Hey Chloe"

"Hey Sasha … weird I always thought you'd be here to take me out on a date … not my daughter"

"Well … ugh …?" Sasha said at a loss for words.

"Oh I'm kidding … come in … Emily just had to grab something from her room" Chloe said then she stepped aside to let him in.

"You look nice"

"Thank you … Hey Brian"

"Hey Sasha … are you going to tell her tonight?"

"Yea … she's going to be so excited"

"What am I going to be excited about?" Emily said as she walked into the living room.

"Oh nothing … you look amazing" Sasha said amazed at how Emily looked since he mostly saw her only in leotards.

"You don't look so bad yourself … the flowers look amazing"

"There for you" he said then he handed them to her.

"Thank you … they smell amazing" Emily said then went and put them in a vase.

"Are you ready to go?" Sasha asked.

"Yea" Emily said walking out of the kitchen to him.

"Don't keep her out too late … she's going to nationals the day after tomorrow you know" Chloe said with a small smile.

"Don't worry I won't … coaches honor" Sasha said and him and Emily walked out the door.

"Okay … finish packing Brian" Chloe said then she went to go finish packing her stuff.

**Restaurant**

Sasha and Emily were sitting at a small table in the back of a little Italian restaurant an hour outside of Boulder.

"How did you find this place? I've never heard of this before." Emily said as she carefully ate her spaghetti.

"I needed something far from town so we wouldn't see anyone we knew" Sasha said with a smile and continued eating his mushroom ravioli. (Cookies to whoever can guess what movie I got that from)

"So you know a lot about me and I know almost nothing about you." Emily said.

"Well there's not much to know" Sasha said.

"Yea right Mr. Olympic Gold Medalist, only guy to ever beat the great Marty Walsh."

"Fine" Sasha said with a slight smile.

For the net hour Sasha and Emily exchanged small facts about themselves.

"How about some dessert?" Sasha said as he grabbed the menu.

"I don't know … nationals … two days away" She said unsure.

"As your coach I say you can have dessert. If it makes you feel better we can split one okay?"

"Okay"

The waitress came over "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"Umm yea … can we get a medium banana split?"

"Sure that will be right out" She said then she left.

"I hope that's okay?"

"No its okay as long as I get dibs on the chocolate"

"Okay as long as I get the cherry"

"Fine" Emily said with a smile and then leaned over and gave him a quick kiss "Thank you for this. It felt good to not have to think about nationals"

"No problem" He said with a smile as their food was set on the table.

"You know there's one more thing I haven't told you." He said as he fed her a spoonful of chocolate ice cream.

"and what would that be?"

"I talked to your mom and since it means so much to you … Brian is coming to nationals with us"

"Seriously?"

"Yea"

Emily started to cry and moved closer to Sasha and gave him the biggest hug. Sasha rubbed her back trying to calm her down.

"Your mom came to me the other day and told me how much it would mean to you to have him there" Sasha said with a smile.

"Thank you so much … you have no idea how much this means to me."

"No problem" He said then they went on eating the ice cream.

They finished a short time later and headed home. The car ride was comfortable silence. They were okay with just being with each other, words weren't needed. They remained quiet until they had pulled into Emily's driveway.

"Tonight was amazing … it's just what I needed"

"No problem"

"Do you want to come in for coffee?"

"That's okay … I have some last minute stuff I have to do before nationals"

"Ok"

They both got out of the car and Sasha walks Emily to her door.

"So no coming early tomorrow … you need sleep okay"

"Fine" Emily said with a pouty face.

"Don't give me that … you know you need it … I come later … nationals later"

"Fine goodnight" Sasha said then he gave her one final kiss then she went inside and he headed back to his car and drove back to the gym.

"So … how was it?" Chloe asked when Emily walked in.

"Amazing … I can't believe you didn't tell me about Brian coming" Emily said smiling.

"We thought coming from him as a surprise would mean more. It was his idea to pay for Brian to come himself you know."

"But he … never mind" Emily said then she went into her room, changed and went to bed.


	3. Part III

**Part III**

**The Next Morning at the Gym**

All the girls were practicing, trying to perfect some last minute faults before they left in the morning for nationals. Sasha and Kim were watching them practice from the office.

"Sasha I don't mean to tell you this the night before we leave for nationals but were starting to get calls from the press."

"That's normal around this time … what's the big problem?" He asked not really concerned.

"They are getting very persistent, a lot of them are saying they will be here we leave tomorrow."

"What" Sasha said as he turned toward her.

"This is gonna be a problem"

"I wouldn't be surprised if soon we have reporters lined up outside ready and waiting for a picture of any of the girls even the night before."

"For right now … write a statement and release it and then talk to all the parents and make sure the girls don't freak out. Right now they all need to stay focused." He said.

"Ok" Kim said then she went to work as Sasha headed down to the floor.

He helped all the girls' fine tune … purposely leaving Emily for last.

"Emily show me your floor routine. Can you all clear the floor please?" He asked all the other girls standing around the floor. He started the music once Emily was in her starting position.

As Emily was doing her routine, Sasha was spending the whole time trying to figure out a way to tell Emily. She stuck her last landing finished out her routine then ran over to Sasha.

"How was that?" She asked.

"Great … changing the music back really helped."

"Thanks"

"Now run your routine again."

**After Lunch**

Chloe walked in just as the girls were coming back from various places after either eating lunch or just getting out of the gym. She walked up to Emily who was stretching on the edge on the floor.

"Hey" Emily said.

"Hey … how did your morning go?"

"Good Sasha's having my mainly work on my floor and it got a lot better."

"Good" Chloe said then she walked to the parent viewing area.

"Girls …. Over here please" Sasha yelled from the office " Good practice today … now go home and finish packing and get a good nights sleep. We will meet in here tomorrow morning at 8 am sharp."

"I thought we were meeting in here?" said one of the girls in the back.

"We were but as some of you may have not have noticed we are being bombarded by the press and I don't want them to effect you guys tomorrow morning. Don't talk to them. We are handling it. Now see you all gong to nationals tomorrow morning." Sasha said then he went back into the office.

"This is going to be a long couple of days" Emily said then they went and changed and left the gym.

As soon as Emily walked outside with her mom, she was bombarded with press. It wasn't that much, but it was enough to get annoying. They ignored all the questions, got into their car and drove away.

**3 pm Emily's House**

There was a knock on the door; Emily was laying on the couch, reading a book for her English class. Chloe had been having Emily just rest ever since they got home from the gym. Tunefully, Emily was glad. She has been working really hard, making sure she was ready for nationals in the coming days.

"I'll get it" Chloe yelled as she was coming from the kitchen.

When she opened the door, Sasha was standing there with one suitcase and one small bag.

"Hey" Emily said from the couch.

"Resting I see" said Sasha.

"Yea ... she won't let me move" Emily said with a sly smile towards her mom.

"Well she's got to be good for nationals" Chloe said as she shut the door behind Sasha as he walked towards Emily.

"But to tell you the truth … I'm enjoying it. All the working out and everything is starting to catch up to me now. I'm so tired."

"So that means no staying up late tonight you two" Chloe said "Make yourself at home Sasha" Then she went back into the kitchen.

Sasha walked over to right next to the couch, picked up Emily's feet, sat down and started giving Emily a relaxing feet rub.

"That feels amazing thank you"

"No problem … just relax" Sasha said and Emily went back to relaxing and reading her book while Sasha continued to tub her feet.

**A Few Hours Later**

"Dinner" Chloe yelled from the kitchen. Even though she had a few downfalls no one could say she was a bad cook.

"This looks amazing Chloe" Sasha said.

"Thank you … dig in everyone"

Once everyone was finished Brian went to his room and Emily and Sasha went back to the living room to watch a movie. They had offered to help clean up the kitchen but Chloe had insisted on doing it herself and for them to relax. Sasha sat on the couch with his feet on the audiomin and Emily curled up to his side with his arm around her.

"Can we just stay like this forever? Just forget about nationals and all the press?" Emily asked looking up at Sasha.

"Umm … don't think so … you could … but you would have to leave the rock and … and leave me" He said in a joking manner.

"and we could never have that"

"After nationals your all going to have some time off. We'll have time to relax then" Sasha said then he kissed the top of her head.

They spent the rest of the night just relaxing and enjoying their time together. They went to bed early. Chloe took the couch and Emily and Sasha took the bed. Chloe trusted them and knew they wouldn't do anything. It was just a nice treat right before nationals.

**Day of Nationals**

"Wakey … Wakey" Chloe screamed as she walked into the bedroom.

"What time is it?" Emily asked not moving from Sasha's grasp.\

"6:30"

"That's early"

"Well Brian's already awake and breakfast is almost ready."

"She's too hyper this early in the morning" Sasha said not moving an inch either.

"She's not normally like this … I usually have to drag her out of bed to get me to practice on time"

"Hurry up you two … Nationals today!" Chloe yelled from the kitchen.

"We do have to get up" Sasha said.

"Fine" Emily said as she gave him a kiss and got out of the bed. Sasha lingered for a moment then followed.

They slowly dressed in their rock sweatshirts and jeans then headed out into the kitchen where Chloe was putting the last parts of breakfast on the table.

"Come sit … come sit … my future Olympian and her coach/boyfriend gotta eat"

"I think she's more excited then me!" Emily said as she ate.

"She has a right to be … 5 days from now you could be on the national team and I truly believe maybe even a medalist. She has every right to be proud. This is a big deal" Sasha said then he kissed Emily.

"Watch it … that's my sister" Brian said then laughed. Sasha just gave Brian a small smile then they all continued eating.

About 30 minutes later they were all done eating and while Chloe was finishing cleaning up and getting ready Sasha and Emily went back to the bedroom to grab their stuff. Once everything was together they sat on the bed and just talked.

"You know we could be waiting for awhile … she has to put her face on" Emily said teasingly.

"That's okay" He said as he pulled her back on the bed.

"What was that for?"She said.

"So I could do this easier" He said as he leaned over and kissed her.

This continued until they heard a clearing of the throat from the doorway. They jumped to see Brian sitting there.

"Moms loading the car. She said she needs your guys help"

"Okay … we'll meet you guys outside" Emily said and Brian rolled away.

"That was embarrassing" She said.

"Well … ummm … yea … lets get going" Sasha said then he helped her off the bed, grabbed their bags and walked outside. They put their bags bag the trunk where Chloe was loading in her and Brian's bags. Sasha insisted that she go check the house and make sure they had everything while he finished packing the car.

"Thanks Sasha …. Don't forget to leave enough room for Brian's chair once Emily loads him in." She said then she headed in the house.

Once Emily had helped Brian get into the car and put his chair in the trunk she helped Sasha put the last but of stuff in the trunk.

"Once we get to the gym I'm going to have to go be coach and deal with all the press."

"That's understandable "

"Also when we get there I suggest you go straight inside so your not bombarded by questions from the press … me and Kim will handle that" Sasha said while they were sitting the back seat.

"I'm surprised they didn't try to get us here" Emily said looking around.

"I know … I'm surprised too" Sasha said while looking around.

"Everyone sure they have everything?" Chloe said as she got in.

"Yea" All three said back.

"Ok lets go" Chloe said as she started the car, pulled out of the driveway and headed for the gym. As they drove away you saw on the back window it said "London 2012 or BUST!"

Emily Kimetko

Future Olympic Champion

**The Rock**

As they pulled into the gym they were surprised that the only things in the parking lot were the bus, and the people loading in all the girls bags, no reporters in sight.

"Ummm" Emily said.

"Yea" Sasha said just as shocked as she was.

They pulled in and as Sasha got out of the car Kim walked over to her.

"Kim … I thought we were going to have a press conference? Why isn't there any press here?" Sasha asked.

"I spent most of the night making sure they wouldn't disturb us."

"Okay … I'll see you inside?" He said to Kim.

Kim nodded then headed back into the gym. Sasha grabbed Brian's chair and put it by the passenger side door for Brian to slide into. Once he was in Sasha shut the door behind him. They all went and grabbed their stuff, they took what they wanted with them for the trip and put the rest by the bus where some guys were loading them into the under bus storage. They then headed into the gym.

When they entered, Sasha went upstairs into the office and Emily walked over to where Kaylie, Payson and Lauren were standing.

At about 8:30 Sasha came out of the office with Kim following close behind. He walked down the stairs and stood in front of all the girls.

"Today …. Is a big day … once you guys walk out that door some of your lives will never be the same … some of you will be on the national team and yours lives will change forever. Okay … lets go" Sasha said with a slight smile.

Emily walked to his side and gave him a smile he smiled back as they walked out to the bus. Once they got onto the bus Sasha sat in the front seat by the door with Kim on the other side behind the driver. Lauren sat with Kaylie a few seats behind Sasha and Payson sat towards the back with Emily, both of them listening to their ipods, most likely going over their routines, so started their 2 day journey to Boston.

**2 Days Later**

"Pack up your stuff kids were about 10 minutes away from the hotel" Kim said.

"I never want to be stuck for this long on bus ever again" Payson said.

"I hear that" Kaylie yelled from a few seats in front of them.

"Well were about 2 min away from the hotel then you all can stretch and get good nights sleep" Sasha yelled so everyone could hear.

They pulled up to the hotel and concierge started right away getting all their bags off the bus and started bringing them into the hotel. They all headed upstairs to the 17th floor where their rooms were located. Sasha stopped them just short of their rooms.

"Any distractions that happened in Boulder you left them there, understand?"

"Yes Sasha" They all responded.

"Okay then … I'm in room 1616, Kaylie and Emily are in room 1615 right across from me, and Payson and Lauren next to then in 1617. So for the rest of the day you can do anything you want dinner is at 6 and lights out is at 11." He gave one last smile to Emily, handed everyone their keys then headed into his room.

**Kaylie and Emily's Room**

They walked in and Emily took the bed closer to the window. She lifted her suit case on the bed then layed on the other side.

"You okay?" Kaylie asked concerned as she unpacked her things.

"Yea … I just wished the press would leave us alone and just concentrate on our gymnastics"

"Well … all the press care about when they can get it is scandal. They are looking for anything to give them a sports star scandel"

"Yea I know … I just didn't think it would be all they would talk about … were at the national championships … there are things way more interesting then our personal lives"

"I'm sorry Em … so ummm … what are you wearing to the big mixer tomorrow?"

They spent the next few hours just talking till at about 3pm Payson and Lauren came in and they continued talking. At about 4:30 Emily got up and started walking towards the door.

"Where ya goin?" Payson asked.

"Ummm I'm going to see my mom and Brain … see how their settling in." was all Emily said then she walked out the door and across the hall to Sasha's door. He answered after the first knock.

"Hey" He said as she walked into the room and layed on his bed.

He followed her in and layed down next to her. Once he layed on the bed Emily rolled right into his open arms.

"This isn't how I thought it was going to be like"

"The press" He guessed.

"Yea … I just wish they would leave us alone and only concentrate on our gymnastics"

"I know … me too … but the press will do anything to get their stories … anything to keep their readers interested."

"What's funny is Kaylie said almost the same thing"

Sasha just laughed and pulled her closer to him and placed a kiss on her head. They layed there just enjoying each others company and the simplicity before the real work began tomorrow.


	4. Part IV

**Part IV**

**Nationals Day One**

All the teams were lined up in a hallway off of the main entrance into the stadium. The rock team was towards the back, lined up 4 to a line and 3 rows. They had more girls competing then any other club. Before they had left they had voted Emily team captain. They all got quiet and lined up when they heard the announcers starting to talk.

"Welcome everyone to the American Gymnastic National Championships 2009 and leading off our parade of teams this year is the Denver Elite Gymnastics Club featuring the reigning national champion Kelly Parker. Now entering the arena is The Great Fall Stars lead by captain Kristen Heniferd and coached by her dad Kurt Heniferd. Next up The Rocky Mountain Gymnastic Training Center, coached by Sasha Belov and captained by Emily Kemetko."

"The next two days of competition will factor into the all around competition. Also it will determine the medalist on each apparatus. By tomorrow afternoon we will know who has made this year's national gymnastic team."

Sasha had the girls gathered around them a little while later before they started the first rotation.

"You are the few who have earned the right to be here, at this time. At a certain point in all of your lives you all chose to dream something most people would think would be impossible. Not a lot of people can do what you do but the people in this arena can. Show them you are the best. In this arena, it is one more step towards your dream. Let's show everyone what you have worked hard for all year. Can I get a rock on?" Everyone put their hands in "One … two … three … ROCK ON"

"First up for the Rock on the vault is new comer Emily Kemetko. Believe it or not less then one year ago she was training at the YWCA in Fresno, California. This is her first major meet; do you believe she even has a chance to make the national team?"

"She has the dod's, so there is that chance but as a new comer it's all going to depend if she can keep her nerves in check."

Emily ran down the runway throwing herself onto the spring board and pushing off strongly on the horse. More so then she thought and was able to throw an extra half a twist into her vault, landing strong and with only the smallest of hop on her landing. She ran to Sasha and threw herself into his arms.

"Where the hell did that extra twist come from?" He said to her once he put her down.

"I have no idea … is it allowed to add extra stuff on top of the things your slated for?"

"It is but people don't usually do it as well as you just did." He said pointing to her score which came to a 15.625. To say she was shocked was an understatement.

"That was amazing. I have only seen 2 other people get less then 2 tenths off and with her being an amateur that was almost unheard of plus with that added half twist, that was amazing" said one of the announcers.

"But it was a beautiful vault and that score was well deserved" said the other.

By the end of the first rotation Emily had gotten the gold on vault, with Payson and Kelly Parker behind her respectively.

Emily ran over to her team getting hugs and congratulations. The rest of the day actually went very well for Emily and the Rock with Emily ending the day in 9th and a silver medal on bars along with her gold on vault, Kaylie in 5th with a bronze medal on floor, Lauren in 8th with a gold medal on beam, and Payson being number 1 with a gold medal on floor, and a silver on vault and beam and a bronze on bars!

**Emily and Kaylie's Room **

"I can't believe it" Emily said as she and Kaylie entered the room after the first day of competition.

"You did amazing out there Emily, those extra twists … where the hell did those come from and congrats on being the new vault champ!"

"I had no idea I could do that."

"Do that again tomorrow and you'll make the national team and probably in the top half too"

"Let's hope so … I'm going to go see my mom and Brian … I'll be back in an hour or so, then we can get ready for the mixer."

"Cool I'm just going to catch a shower and maybe a quick nap."

"Cool see ya in a little bit" Emily said then she left the room. When she turned from shutting her down Sasha had his door open and was waiting for her just like they planned. She quickly ran inside after looking down the hallway to make sure no one saw her.

Once she was inside and Sasha had closed the door and had turned and picked Emily up into his arms.

"You were amazing today." He said.

"Thanks. I think it's finally starting to hit me that I can do this" Emily said as he set her down and she walked over to her bed and curled up near the top.

"You can do this … you're the new vault champ and bars silver medalist … you just have to remember that. You're in 9th right now and if you pull what you did today you will make the national team maybe even medal."

"That's all I want. I want to prove to everyone I'm not who they think I am."

"And you can and you defiantly did today. You've worked hard for it."

"Thanks" Emily said then she leaned up and kissed Sasha. It started out sweet at first but then slowly got more intense.

"I've wanted to do that since your vault win this morning" Sasha said once they parted.

"Our self control is going to be tested the next few days"

"We can do it. Before we know it we will be back in Boulder with a few well deserved days off"

"I can not wait for that. Well I have to get back to the room to get ready for the mixer."

"Okay … see you at the party" Sasha said then he gave her one last kiss and she went back to her room.

**Two Hours Later**

The girls were in the back garden area of the hotel where all the people from nationals were staying and where the national's mixer was taking place.

"Is it seriously crap on Kaylie Cruz day?" Kaylie said as she walked up to the table Lauren, Payson and Emily were gathered around.

"What's up?" Lauren asked.

"My dad doesn't seem to believe I can even medal … before it was to win now he was saying he doesn't care if I medal at all"

"As long as you believe in yourself that's all that matters." Payson said.

"Thanks Pay" Kaylie said with a warm smile.

"Oh great the wicked witch of the west is blowing in" Lauren said as Kelly Parker walked up with her entourage.

"Team Rock, I'm not gonna lie … you have all shocked the hell out of me with how well you have been doing. Too bad I'm going to crush you all tomorrow because I don't plan to give up my title quietly."

"Well think that then. It will make it so much more fun for us when we bury you in the ground tomorrow." Lauren said getting into her face.

"We'll see about that … see you tomorrow" was all Kelly said then she turned and walked away.

"She majorly gets on my nerves"

"We can't let her get to us. We are the best gym in the nation and we have to show her that tomorrow. Show her who the best really are." Payson said trying to get her teammates to forget about her and to concentrate on what's really important.

**Later That Night In Kaylie and Emily's Room**

Lauren, Payson, Kaylie and Emily were in various parts of the room doing different things. Lauren was on Kaylie's bed reading a magazine, Emily was on her bed laying on her stomach with a pillow in her arms under her head, Kaylie was laying down beside Lauren and Payson was on the floor stretching our her back.

"How's it feeling Pay?" Kaylie asked.

"It feels okay. I'm just going to need a lot of rest after nationals"

"I hear that" they all said back.

"I can't believe right now we are in the position to have the most people on the national team in history. Has any other club had 5 people on the national teams?" Emily asked.

"Not that I know of I think the most has been 3 people between the two teams. If we get four on one team, we'll be legend." Lauren acclaimed.

"As long as tomorrow goes as good as today did, that shouldn't be a problem but of course we can't be cocky. Everyone is bringing their game. Some of the tricks people are throwing are amazing." Payson said.

"I know I can't believe Marty added a full whip to Kelly Parker's floor" Lauren spat.

"I think we still can beat her. My dream is to knock her right off the podium. Have her be looking up at us for a change." Kaylie said.

"That would be awesome" Emily said.

They continued to talk until right before lights out when Lauren and Payson went back to their room.

"Kay? You awake?" Emily called.

"Yea Em what's up?"

"I'm nervous about tomorrow. Today I don't know how I did all that. How am I sure I'll be able to do that again?"

"You don't but if you think you can and if you believe you can, there really shouldn't be a reason why you're not standing on that podium tomorrow. You deserve it Em … you just have to remember that."

"Thanks" Emily responded then both fell asleep thinking of what they needed to do to win tomorrow.

**Nationals: Day 2**

You could feel the tension that was in the room. Everyone knew that even one slight mistake could cost them everything. Emily was the most nervous of all. She wanted to prove that she belonged and that was proving to be distracting her. Her warm up wasn't going as planned and Sasha could see that. He told one of his assistant coaches to make sure the girls finished warming up and he took Emily back into the health room in the back of the arena.

"What the heck is going on with you? You were fine yesterday" Sasha asked with his hands sitting on her waist and her arms around his neck. His feet were placed in just a way so that if someone walked in it would not be all that hard for him to move away from her quickly.

"I don't know. The pressure is just getting to me I guess. I mean everyone saw what I did yesterday and are expecting that from me again and I just don't know if I can do it."

"I know you can. I believe in you. I know you can do it you just have to believe it yourself."

"That's what Kaylie said"

"And she's right ... if you go in there knowing you can do it … you will actually have a greater chance of getting what you want. Remember we are all here behind you and like I told that night in the rock … I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here for you" Sasha said as he leaned and gave her a small kiss. "Now let's go out there and kick some major ass"

They went back into the arena where the rest of the team was waiting. Emily went to go finish warming up with one of the other Rock coaches while Sasha went and talked to the other girls. He started with Payson.

"Stay clean, that's all you need to win this. Stay clean and forget Kelly Parker even exist." She nodded and walked away. Then he went to Kaylie.

"More. More Power. More Fire. More You Kaylie. Show them you deserve to be on that podium." Kaylie too nodded and walked away. Then he went to Lauren.

"Enjoy yourself Lauren. Find some joy in that and make the judges see it and they'll be sure to make room for you on that podium."

They all dispersed and went to get ready for their first rotation. Emily and Sasha headed for the vault. They had written in her a Yurchankio double instead of her original 1 ½.

"First up on vault Emily Kmetko, now yesterday she actually upgraded her vault from a Yurchankio 1 ½ to a Yurchankio double. She landed the double in warm ups cleanly so I'm pretty sure she is going to throw the double today"

"Since yesterday people have been call her the tall Shawn Johnson."

Emily waited until the judges flag went up to show they were ready, then she did her salute, and got prepped for her vault. Sasha was standing on the side. You could see the worry on his face. He wasn't prepared for what would happen if she didn't land the vault clean. His breath was caught in his throat as she ran down the runway and launched herself onto the spring board and onto the horse. As she did her two twists in the laid out position and landed firmly with out a hop Sasha wasn't sure if he had seen a single thing the judges could take anything away from. You could se the look of pure joy on Emily's face as she did her final salute and ran into Sasha's waiting arms.

"How was it?"

"It was utterly amazing. I really don't see where the judges can take anything away. Your form was amazing."

"A perfect 10, really? I could only dream of that" Emily asked shocked.

"Umm Emily, I don't think it's a dream anymore." Sasha said as he turned her to look at the scored board where under execution it said: 10.0.

"OH MY GOD" Emily screamed as she again jumped into Sasha's arms with her team surrounding her.

"I'm shocked ... a perfect 10. We haven't seen that at nationals in over 10 years. Some people are going to be against this but the 10 was deserved. That vault was flawless. As we watch the instant replays the judges are right." The announcer said, he too shocked that someone new to national competition is doing that.

"With that score and if she does good the rest of today I think she has a shot at a medal."

"Do you think she has a shot at being the national champ?"

"Who knows … people do make mistakes but if no one does she will probably be silver or bronze."

"But for a new comer that is history, especially for someone in their first competition. She will be one to watch for the Olympics."

Things on the floor had calmed down and now they were all getting ready to watch Payson's bar routine. If she did this routine well she could be declared the national champion even before everyone else finished their last rotation. It wouldn't be official until everyone did finish but it would be as good as hers. All she had to do was what for her would be an average bars routine.

She started out clean but as she was making her transition to the high bar she was just a bit too far away and fell to the mats and landed on her neck. Sasha ran over to her as her parents and sister ran out of the crowd. The girls just huddled together, scared about what was happening to their fallen teammate. She didn't move at all as the paramedics carefully put her on the stretcher and wheeled her out of the arena with her parents and Becca close behind. Sasha came over to the girls and got them ready to move to the next rotation.

"I am shocked. What happens now?"

"Well the rock team has to be shaken up and they are the team who have the 2 of the people that really have a shot now of being the national champion."

"Yea there's Kaylie Cruz who has shown everyone she is not the athlete everyone though she was and then there is Emily Kmetko who has shocked us all and is putting on quite a show for being so new to major national competition"

"And then of course there is reigning champ Kelly Parker but she hasn't been performing quite to her abilities today."

"Well she tweaked her ankle last year and nationals and again at worlds and I think that has been causing her some problems."

"Do you think it is going to cost her this national championship?"

"I'm sorry to but I think it will. Kaylie and Emily have been performing better then her. She is currently in 1st but with only her, Kaylie and Emily left to do their floor routines I don't expect it to stay that way for long."

Sasha had gathered the rock team to try and calm all of them down.

"I know we are all upset here but we all know that Payson wouldn't want this to interfere with what you all are here to do. We have a chance to make history, so lets finish this out … for Payson" He said as he put his hand in the middle and all of the other girls followed. He didn't even have to say what to say, they all knew.

"1 … 2 … 3 … FOR PAYSON" They yelled and Emily and Kaylie got ready for floor while the other girls went to the side to watch the last 3 routines that would determine the national champion. Sasha pulled Kaylie and Emily off to the side.

"You two have the chance to be a medalist. I want one of you to be our national champion. Payson would want that for you two if she couldn't have it herself. Leave everything out on that floor. Show the judges who the best is and that her name is not Kelly Parker." He said that last part with a smile because he too was not a fan of Kelly.

As Emily and Kaylie finished warming up Kelly walked over to them.

"Now that Payson gone it's all mine."

"You weren't going to beat our friend Payson and today you wont beat us"

"We'll see about that"

Kelly was the first to go of the three and she did well but stepped out of bounds once and that pretty much cost her at least the gold. Sasha could only laugh when he saw the smile that came across Kaylie and Emily's face. They knew one of them would be the new national champ. They gave each other one final good luck hug before Emily went and did her floor. He knew that who ever won the other would be happy for them. Just in the past few days he has seen this new bond grow between Kaylie and Emily so he was happy it was these two in this position. Once again while Emily was doing her routine Sasha could only hold his breath. She was doing beautifully and doing the new routine with the extras she added in yesterday. When she did her final pass, which was a 2 and ½ twist, and landed it strong, Sasha had never been more proud of her. He could see she deserved to be the national champion. He could only hope the judges did so too.

"That was incredible. I think we are looking at the next national gymnastic champion" One announcer said.

"With a score of 16.00 we could be but we can't be sure until Kaylie Cruz does her routine."

"Kaylie's routine is out of a 16.5 so should could do it. She would need a 16.125 to tie the lead with Emily."

"Looks like were about to find out" He said as Kaylie started her routine.

As Kaylie finished Sasha really wasn't sure who was going to take it. They both had done an amazing job. Kaylie ran back to Sasha and he gave her a long hug then he grabbed Emily and had one on each side of him. Those few moments while the judges tabulated Kaylie's score felt like they took years instead of seconds.

"Wow I've never seen this happen …"


	5. Part V

**Part V**

"With a score on 16.125 Emily Kmetko and Kaylie Cruz are the new co-all around gymnastics champions"

"We all knew it was possible but I never thought I would actually see it happen. We now have co-national champions"

"And this is a great triumph The Rock and for Coach Sasha Beloff. Not only does he have 3 medalists here with Lauren Tanner getting bronze, he also has Nicky Russo who won the Men's silver medal yesterday"

"That is history"

"It defiantly is"

Emily and Kaylie just stood there for a moment unsure what to do. They were knocked out of it when they were basically knocked over by their teammates surrounding them.

"I am so insanely proud of you guys right now" Sasha said to them over the thundering of applause and cheering.

Emily and Kaylie turned to Sasha and gave him a long since without him they would have never been able to get there. After Kaylie let go Emily held on for a little longer. To anyone else it would just look like an athlete giving their coach a congratulatory hug but they knew it was more than that. To anyone who knew their story they would think it was just a hug to thank him for the extra time he put into her. They locked eyes for a moment then Emily was pulled away by Kaylie and Lauren as they got ready for the awarding of the medals and the naming of the national team.

"Ladies and Gentlemen if you would please take your seats we are about to start the medal ceremony" The announcer said once the floor was set up and ready for the medal ceremony.

In the middle of the floor now was the long podium with 3 raised spots in the middle for the medalist and room for the rest of the national team on either side of them. Off to one side was the president of the NGO and a few others officials holding the team jackets that each girl would receive after their name is called and before they stand on the podium.

"With the bronze medal from The Rocky Mountain Gymnastic Training Center Lauren Tanner"

Lauren hugged Sasha and the rest of her team, got her jacket and stood on the podium. Then the president of the NGO came over and put the medal around her neck then shook her hand. As the president was walking back Lauren looked up at her dad and Summer with a big smile on her face. She was happy she could make both of them proud. She only wished her mom was here to see it but her mom hasn't seen her compete since she was 8, so she doesn't know why she even got her hopes up.

"With the silver medal from The Denver Elite Gymnastics Club, Kelly Parker"

She too hugged her coach and the rest of her team. She went and got her jacket and stood on the podium on the opposite side of Lauren after giving her a quick hand shake and a dirty look. As the president put the silver medal around her neck you could tell by the look on her face that she thinks she deserved the gold, to be the national champion. Sasha was glad that his girls were the national champions but he knew that Kelly Parker was going to give them crap for it for the next year.

"And now your co-national champions from The Rocky Mountain Gymnastic Training Center, Emily Kmetko and Kaylie Cruz"

They were once again surrounded by their team; they went and got their jackets, gave a handshake to Kelly and a hug to Lauren and then stood on the top of the podium. The president came over and presented the girls with their gold medals. Smiling from ear to ear as the waved to everyone, spending an extra second when they found their parents.

"Let's meet the rest of your national gymnastics team …" The announcer continued until all 12 girls were standing across the podium.

"Let's give it up again for your medalist … with the bronze The Rock's Lauren Tanner, and with the silver Denver's Kelly Parker and your new national champs Kaylie Cruz and Emily Kmetko."

As everyone was applauding NGO officials came over and gave each girl a banquet of yellow roses with Kaylie and Emily getting the biggest ones. They took some group pictures as a whole team, and then they took some with Lauren, Kelly, Emily and Kaylie. After awhile Kelly left to go see her family and coaches and Sasha came over and took pictures together. They took all different variations of pictures and soon after they felt people on all sides of them as their families had gotten through the mayhem and were finally able to reach them.

"Emily … I am so proud of you" Chloe said as soon as she was able to get her hands on her daughter. "My daughter … the national champion"

"Co-national champion"

"National Champion … we may be co-champs but you're still the national champ" Kaylie yelled from behind her as she walked by with her parents.

"None the less I'm still insanely proud of you."

"Thanks mom … I couldn't have done this without you." She said as she gave her mom a hug.

"We did it Lauren. I knew you could get here" Steve Tanner said as he embraced his daughter.

"Too bad mom flaked out" Lauren said then she ran over to Summer as she came walking up. She didn't see the look Steve Tanner had in his eye. Like he knew something.

"I am so proud of you Lauren … I told you you could do it."

"Thanks … I don't think I would be here without you"

"You could have … I just helped you remember what got you here."

"Our national champ … We are so proud of you Kaylie" Alex and Ronnie Cruz said to their daughter.

"Thanks"

"Now I can't imagine how many sponsorships are going to be coming in for you"

Kaylie just rolled her eyes. Some things will never change.

A while later Emily, Kaylie, and Lauren went to go find Sasha. They found him just finishing an interview up with Fox Sports. They tried to get one with them but they said they had somewhere else to be and would give them one later once they were back in Boulder.

"You guys heading up to get ready for the party?" He asked.

"Umm in a little bit … there's somewhere we have to be first." Kaylie said with a smile to Sasha and he knew where they needed to be.

"Okay … and girls be sure to tell Kim and Mark I send them my best and try to be back for at least some of the party. There are tons of people who want to congratulate you"

"We will" Emily said and with a smile they ran and caught a taxi and headed for the hospital.

**Payson's Hospital Room **

Payson was asleep when Kaylie, Lauren and Emily entered the room. They slowly walked up and grabbed her hand, just seeing her like that made them all start to cry. Slowly Payson started to wake up.

"Way to kick some ass" was the first thing she said when she woke up.

"It's so good to see you awake Pay"

"Congrats on being … co-national champs?"

"Yea … but it should have been you Payson … were so sorry"

"Don't … don't ever be sorry. You guys are amazing gymnast and deserve it. So don't ever be sorry for it. You guys beat Kelly Parker and that's awesome in its self. Congratulations on the bronze Lauren."

"Thanks … so when will you be back in Boulder?"

"In a few days … I'll be sure to call you guys when I'm back. Shouldn't you guys be at the after party?"

"Yea but we had to make sure you were okay. You're more important than any after party. Oh and Sasha sends his best. He said he'll come see you when you are back in Boulder."

"No I'm not. You guys go and have fun. There are people waiting who want to celebrate 3 of the best gymnasts in the country" Payson said with a genuine smile.

"Okay but be sure to call us the minute your back in Boulder."

"Okay I will. Oh wait … what did Kelly get?"

"Silver"

"Dang … I wanted to knock her off the podium." She said with a sly smile. She then gave each girl a long hug, then they grabbed their gym bags and left.

As soon as the girls were out of sight Payson let her true feelings out and let the tears that had been threatening to spill finally come out. She knew that she was supposed to be the national champion right now and it pained her because she knew there was a slim chance she would ever be able to do gymnastics again. She was happy for her friends but it was still hard to see them living a dream that she knew she can't have. She figured that her dreams on London 2012 were actually over.

**Emily and Kaylie's Room **

All the girls are around the room in various stages of getting ready as fast as they could since they were already late for the after party as it was.

"It was so weird seeing her like that"

"I know … but knowing Payson she will be back and training, trying to take our title before we know it Emily" Kaylie yelled from the bathroom where she was finishing her makeup.

"I don't think it has hit me yet that I'm a national champion. I don't feel like I deserve it. I mean it was only my first nationals and there were people with higher DOD's than me. Why did I deserve it over them?"

"Because like Sasha told you, you are not like us who have been brought up in real gyms our whole lives. You bring a different style and energy to your gymnastics and this year that was what the judges must have been looking for and yes your DOD's might have been lower but your execution was amazing. Not a lot of people could do what you did out there these past two days. Not a lot of people can change their routines of the fly like that and do it as well as you did. That 10 on vault was amazing. You're walking out of these nationals with two gold's and a silver, National Champion, Vault Champ and Bars silver medalist. That's amazing for anyone let alone someone in their first national championship. Don't forget that. You worked hard for it and you earned it. Don't let anyone, especially Kelly Parker get to you."

"Thanks guys"

"Okay let's go … like Sasha and Payson said … there is a party going on that wants to congratulate the 3 best gymnasts in the country." Lauren said from where she stood ready, waiting by the door.

"Kelly too Lauren"

"Who cares about Kelly? We are from the gym of the gold and bronze medalist and men's silver medalist, we made history. Did Kelly Parker make history? No … The only thing people are talking about regarding her is that she didn't keep her national championship. So who would care about Kelly? We're the stars of that party and she knows it. "

Then room stayed silent for a moment.

"True" they all said then they headed out to the party.


	6. Part VI

**Part VI**

**Nationals After Party**

The party was taking place in one of the hotels ball rooms. The walls were packed with coaches, gymnasts, family, media and press. Everyone was talking about the dual champions and the where abouts of said champions. All questions were answered when Kaylie, Lauren, and Emily walked through the door. Kelly Parker was standing off to the side with her friends from Denver Elite.

"The national "champions" coming in late? Seriously they don't deserve it. I should be the national champion. I'm here on time"

"No Kelly you don't deserve it" Said a loud intimidating voice behind her.

Kelly turned around and behind her was Marty.

"Kaylie and Emily worked hard for it and you made a lot of mistakes out there today and the were better than you. Now you better not be, and sorry for my language, a bitch to them or you will endure the practice from hell. We clear?"

"Crystal" She said with a smirk on her face then Marty left.

"Chances of that practice no matter what I do … slim" Kelly finished with a sly smile as she looked towards Kaylie and Emily. When she had that smirk, you knew she was up to something.

On the other side of the room Emily and Kaylie were being bombarded by press wanting an interview with the new national champions. Sasha could see they were getting overwhelmed and stepped in.

"They will be giving interviews tomorrow and more once we get back to Boulder. They are only doing one tonight and that is to ESPN. So everyone else, back off of my gymnasts." Sasha said with a stern voice and everyone instantly backed off.

"The ESPN crew is ready for us. They are set up in the room next door" Sasha said and he lead them to the room.

Inside of a smaller room in the same design of the ball room, the ESPN crew had their set all up and the reporter and the crew were waiting.

"Sorry they're late."

"It's okay we just got done interviewing Austin."

Austin Tucker was the men's all around champion. Some people mic'ed them up and they sat in the three of the four chairs waiting on the set. They make up people quickly touched them up then the reporter joined them on set.

"3 … 2 … "

"Here I am joined by the two most famous people in women's gymnastics, the new co-all around woman's champions Emily Kmetko and Kaylie Cruz and their coach Sasha Belov. How much of the moment do you guys remember when they said you were the new all around champions?"

"I know for me I don't remember anything. I was just so shocked that nothing was really registering. I was only knocked out of it when my teammates basically knocked me over. I have had such a different upbringing than the rest of my team that this was truly a shock to me especially with how much shock my body was already in after what happened to Payson." Emily said.

"For me I was in shock too. I almost wasn't able to do my floor in the first place because of what happened to Payson. I know that if she were here she would be the national champion so I am grateful to be here but in my heart I wish it was Payson. She deserved this." Kaylie said with a look of sadness on her face.

"I know. What happened to Payson is unimaginable and I know that she should be here." Emily added.

"We hear that you two plus your teammate and bronze medalist Lauren Tanner went to go visit her right after the competition. How is she doing?"

"We didn't get to hear a lot about her condition, we just wanted to see her but she seems to be okay. I think her body is still in a slight state of shock."

"Was she happy for you? I'm sure she knew that if she hadn't gotten hurt that she would be the national champion."

"She is our teammate so of course she was happy for us. We told her we knew that she should be the national champion and she told us that we should never be sorry for winning. She told us we deserved to be here. I think we both needed to hear it from her for us to feel more okay with winning, so she's happy for us. We can't wait until she is back in Boulder and back at The Rock."

"We can't wait until she is better and back training again."

"Sasha I'm sure that moment when Payson fell off the bars was shocking for you. What was going through your head?"

"I was shocked but then it was almost as my coaching instincts took over and all I was concerned about was making sure she was okay. I've had something like this happen before and have a bad outcome and I just didn't want that to happen again."

"Do you know anything about her condition?"

"Not at the moment but I hoping to learn more once I see her when we are back in Boulder."

"So Sasha how does it feel for you to have not only the two gold medalists and the bronze medalist from the woman's competition but also Nicky Russo who won the silver in the men's final all came from your gym?"

"I am most defiantly proud of all my gymnast. I am just their coach, they are the ones who did all of the work. I just guided them to make sure they were working towards the right things. I only started coaching them earlier this year. I came into a great gym and just picked up where Marty Walsh left off. The girls should get most of the credit, not me."

"So girls, how is he really as a coach?"

"I'm sure Kaylie would say the same thing but I know for a fact I wouldn't be anything without Sasha. Marty left two days after he brought me to The Rock and Sasha was the one who actually got me to trust a coach and let me know that I didn't only have to depend on myself. He got me to understand that there would always be someone to catch me if I feel." Emily looked up at Sasha and they shared a smile.

"Sasha is the best coach I've ever had. He knows when to gamble and knows when to push us and when to back off. He doesn't just care about the tricks he cares about us too"

"You all seem really close? Is this the typical coach gymnast relationship?"

"A relationship between a coach and their athlete is unlike any other relationship you'll find. They put their most precious in my hands; they trust me with not only with their bodies but also with their minds. People don't understand the how much mental preparation goes into gymnastics. Some coaches if they are too hard on their athletes can ruin that and ruin the sport for them. When I coach I try to act still like their coach but I also try to be a friend to them."

"But trust us he still gets in our faces if we give any attitude"

"I have interviewed a lot of coaches and their athletes and I can tell there is something different with you guys"

"I try to be different and try to be what these girls need me to be. I had a great coach to look up to. I bring a lot of what he taught me into my coaching."

"So what's next for you guys?"

"We have a lot of press then it's back to training to get ready for the meet in London against the EU."

"There are rumors that your gym is going to be the Woman's National Team gym and that Sasha is going to be named the National Team coach. What do you have to say about that?"

"Well it is true that The Rock will be the Woman's national team gym but as to me being the coach we have no idea. That won't be decided until the first national tram practice in two weeks."

"So congratulations on your win today and we can't wait to see how you both do leading up to the Olympics in London 2012." The reporter finished and then the crew came and un-mike them and they headed back to the party. As they walked back into the room they were approached by the president of the NGO followed closely behind by Ellen Beals.

"Could we steal the girls for a quick moment?" He asked Sasha.

"No go right ahead."

They were pulled up onto a stage where Lauren, Kelly, Nicky, Austin, and the men's bronze medalist Jonathan were waiting.

"Where were you guys?" Lauren whispered to Kaylie.

"We had an interview for EPSN."

"Why didn't they interview me?"

"I don' know Lauren, maybe because we're the national champions."

"But I'm the bronze medalist"

"Shhh!"

"May I please have everyone's attention please. As many of you know I am Ben Rodes, President of the NGO and I just want everyone to congratulate all of these athletes for their hard work they have done these past few days." There was a round of applause and once that died down he continued. "I also want to give another congratulate this year's medalists with a special congrats to our new national champions Emily Kmetko, Kaylie Cruz and Austin Tucker." Everyone clapped and he continued "Now everyone enjoy the party" He put the mike on the stand and shook Kaylie, Emily, and Austin's hand and he went back to the party. They all went off the stage and the rock girls went and enjoyed the night before the media storm that was waiting for them started the next morning.

**Bus Ride Back To Boulder **

The bus ride home was very calm, almost everyone were passed out, all but Emily who were sitting about in the middle of the bus and Sasha who was sitting behind the driver. Since they couldn't really talk in the chance that someone would hear them, they were texting each other.

**So how many days are we getting off?**

_About 8 but you have 3 days of media and celebrations first_

**Why so many?**

_The rest of the gym is getting 5 but since we will be doing 3 days of media first and I still want you guys to have time to just relax_

**What is the gym going to do the 3 days your not there? **

_The assistant coaches can handle it. They've handled the gym by themselves so far._

**Who are you and what have you done with my coach?**

_I'm still me I just remember how I almost injured myself after I didn't take a break after my 2__nd__ nationals win. I don't need any more of you hurt on my watch _

**Sasha you know Payson wasn't your fault.**

_It happened on my watch. If I would have just noticed how much pain she was really in I would not have let her compete._

**She would have competed, no matter what you said. She had the national championship in her grasp. She should have been up there … not me.**

_Now you stop it. You know you deserved it too. You were the best that I have ever seen you these past few days. _

**I guess I am just getting used to it. I have no idea how I am going to handle all this press stuff. Why do we need to have 3 whole days of it? Why can't we just have one big press conference and be done with it. **

_You and Kaylie are the national champions. You have a lot people who want to see you._

**I know. It's still hard to believe I'm the national champion. I would have just been happy with making the national team.**

_I am so proud of you. I knew you could do it, it just took people reminding you of how amazing you are._

**I could not have done this without you. Knowing that you would never leave me gave so much more then I think I will ever be able to tell you.**

_The only pay back I want is you to own this year and continue getting better. I believe you could be a contender at worlds this year. _

**You really think I could do it? **

_Dragostea mea I believe you can do anything_

**That means a lot. I love you. I'm gonna crash now**

_Get some rest you have a crazy couple of days ahead of you_

**Good Night**

_Good Night Dragostea mea_

Sasha put his phone away and tired to get a little sleep him self. He had almost as many appearances in these next few days as Kaylie and Emily did.


End file.
